BWNC Comments to Transportation Committee on HB323

My name is Steven Goodridge; I am speaking on behalf of BikeWalk NC, the statewide advocacy organization for pedestrians and bicyclists. We are here today to urge the state to include qualified bicyclists on the study committee. Bicyclists are the primary stakeholders in this study, because bicyclists are the ones who lose in collisions.

We believe that user behavior is the most important factor affecting traffic safety, and that bicyclists must take responsibility for themselves. Unfortunately, misconceptions about bicycling safety are widespread among the public, including many bicyclists and police officers.

BikeWalk NC teaches successful traffic bicycling techniques to our members, to our children, to traffic engineers and to police departments. Our programs are based on 135 years of evidence-based research and analysis by bicyclist organizations. We wish to offer this experience to the working group and to share what cyclists have learned from their successes and failures, with the goals of increasing bicyclist safety, reducing motorist stress, and improving the effectiveness of law enforcement.